Howard Gibson: a Tribute

Howard's smile when given his retirement present after he stepped down as Butterfly Park Treasurer in 2021

It is with great sadness that we report the death of Howard Gibson, the treasurer of New Ferry Butterfly Park for 22 years and chief lawnmower operative for 26 years.

When Howard retired from being a bank branch manager, he wanted to use his banking skills to serve the local community. He first started at Merseyside Improve Housing Association Tenant Participation group, where he met Mel Roberts, the visionary founder of the Park. Mel soon recruited Howard into the Park’s team, with Howard becoming the Park’s treasurer in 1998, taking over from the first treasurer Vi Otter.

The Treasurer’s role started on a small scale but developed into a much more involved role, reflecting the considerable development and increased activities taking place at the Park. It is a busy job in the summer, sorting out weekly collections put in the donation tin and distinguishing between donations: general, wood chip, soil improver, or group visits. These were accurately and clearly presented in the annual accounts. The accounts give the committee a clear picture of the financial resources and how each income stream has contributed over the year. Howard’s accounts were used to demonstrate the Park is a business - we sell wood chip. This was a crucial point raised in court in 2009 when protecting the Park’s business tenancy. Howard became an expert in VAT and claimed a 20% refund on our disabled accessible composting toilet via Cheshire Wildlife Trust. This refund helped with funding the required surrounding ground works.

The busiest day of the year for the treasurer is the Opening Day, when around 1,000 visitors are entertained. It can be complicated, with cash floats required for several stalls and refreshments, along with the purchase of materials, some items being purchased on the day as the opening day progresses. On the following day, whilst volunteers are all recovering, Howard quickly presented the accounts for the Opening Day, as a thank you to all the volunteers who had contributed to the success of the opening day and sharing their part in fundraising endeavours.

Howard also became expert in handling grants and reporting clearly on how they had been spent. Anything from a few hundred for the artwork which graces our pondside container, to several thousand for the toilet.

The most complicated and involved financial project handled by Howard, and one which cost the most at £17,000, was the Comma Project in 2012, during which a shop in New Ferry Precinct was rented for six months. Each month there was a different artist and a private viewing party at the end of the artist’s residency. It was a challenge to collect all the receipts: “No receipt, no payment” was Howard’s mantra and quite right too. There were rent, gas, electric and water bills along with decorating bills, artistic materials, and artist’s payment at the end of their residencies. When Howard stood down as treasurer in 2021, he was presented with a framed picture, a caricature of himself drawn by the park’s artist in residence, Carol Ramsay. He was delighted by it as evident in the photograph above.

Caricature of Howard, drawn by Carol Ramsay

Along with his banking skills, Howard brought many practical skills and joined in with the weekly Tuesday workdays with Dave the boat, Dave Holms, Mel Roberts and Ian Jones, as well as the twice monthly Sunday workdays during the fledgling years of the Park. Howard also installed, fixed and painted much of the park’s furniture and carried out many successful infrastructure projects at the Park: the BBQ stand, the much-used bench by the container, designing compost bins and, best of all, adding a sloping roof to the metal container, keeping it dry and harvesting rainwater. We are still finding new volunteers for the things that Howard used to quietly do annually, such as treating handrails and posts with preservative, which he did up to 2024. He mowed our paths throughout the growing season for 26 years, from 1998 to 2024. At the 2025 Opening Day, Justin Madders MP presented Howard with a gift token as a small appreciation of all that work.

Howard and Peter preparing the hole for the industrial history display board at the brick pit

Howard bravely took on intruders in the Park, removing an air rifle from a gang of youths trespassing in the Park. In 2011 as part of a survey of volunteers’ hours for Cheshire Wildlife Trust, it was realised that Howard was giving 140 mid-week hours per year plus seven Sundays, amounting to 20% of the total volunteer input at the Park that year, very impressive.

Howard has always been a quiet strength of the Park, and this was recognised and celebratedby Cheshire Wildlife Trust, who awarded Howard the Eric Thurston Award in 2015.

Howard receiving the Eric Thurston Award

Howard’s twin daughters Dawn and Fiona carried out their Duke of Edinburgh community service at the Park, and his wife Enid came to the opening days with the wider family. Enid was able to join us at celebratory events such as the Liverpool Echo Environment Award for Community Impact 2019.

Echo Environmental Awards Community 2019

The Green Flag at the Park has been flying at half-mast in tribute to him and at the recent group meeting we held a minute silence to reflect on Howard’s contribution to the Park and his fellowship over the years.

Howard has left a legacy through his financial acuity and hands-on involvement with the much-loved community asset of New Ferry Butterfly Park. As many have said, he was such a kind and peaceful man, with an extraordinarily strong work ethic. We were incredibly lucky to have him as a volunteer for all those years.

Howard at the entrance gates to the Butterfly Park, ready to great visitors